Work That Made Us
Citrus Arts Pennants
Pontypridd, Wales
In a quiet valley town in Wales, a historic old hall in Pontypridd – once gifted to the community and now home to Citrus Arts – became the site of powerful co-creation in Spring 2025. For over 10 years, Citrus Arts have been making highly physical and visual performances that combine circus, theatre and dance, performed with local communities and at events, venues, and festivals across the UK. Rooted in the area’s deep mining heritage, this intergenerational project explored the changing nature of work across time, memory and imagination.
Kinetika collaborated with Citrus Arts to deliver a unique programme involving ten emerging young artists and local community members aged 19 to 85. Led by Kinetika Artistic Director Ali Pretty, the group asked vital questions: How do we value work? What did our grandparents do? What do we love to do? And what might future generations pursue?
Over several days, stories and reflections gathered from participants were transformed into twenty hand-painted silk pennants. Spanning imagined and real professions from 1875 to 2050, the banners form a vivid timeline of labour – from coal mining and textiles to coding and care work – each silk capturing both the physical tasks and emotional landscapes of different eras.
The Silks
This collaboration created space for diverse voices to reflect on their lived experiences while honouring those who came before them. The artworks celebrate the dignity of work in all its forms, from manual labour to creative and emotional labour, and propose hopeful futures shaped by the dreams of today’s youth. Each flag was personally designed and hand-painted, reflecting the varied roles and responsibilities of the communities in the lower Rhondda Valley – from foresters and foundry-workers to mothers, clowns, carers, and campaigners.
Displayed at the close of the project within the historic Citrus Arts building, the silks filled the hall with bold colour. Together, they form a moving tribute to resilience, aspiration, and the continuity of community spirit across generations.
The Citrus Arts Pennants. Images courtesy of Mark Massey.
“I loved learning how to batik on silk and the painting, I thoroughly enjoyed trying to design a theme and seeing it blossom into something very beautiful . I also found it very interesting to hear the stories about the other most amazing designs and their history of our area.”
– Participant
Save the Date: Saturday 2nd August 2025
Join Kinetika and Citrus Arts as we proudly carry these silks through Pontypriddon the Pontypridd Circular route – a 6-hour walk exploring the theme of the Year of the Worker. With facilitated discussions along the way, designated stop-offs, and a celebratory gathering with food, drinks and live music at Barry Sidings Café, the day will honour the spirit of collective creativity and community storytelling.
Departure: 11:30am | Arrival: 6:00pm at Barry Sidings Café
About Citrus Arts
Exceptional Experiences for Everyday People
For over 10 years Citrus Arts have been making highly physical and visual performances that combines circus, theatre and dance, which are performed with our communities and also at events, venues and festivals across the UK. Their home is Pontypridd, in the Rhondda Welsh Valleys, 10 minutes from Cardiff and a lot of our activity happens at our community space, Hopkinstown Hall.
Bridie and James’ training was in physical theatre and circus. We toured for many years and our expertise is about bringing people together through creativity. Citrus Arts are a not-for-profit charity, originally a family run company but now expanding and supporting more local and international artists and participants.
Kinetika Artists
Ali Pretty, Artistic Director and Founder